Dear DDSB colleagues,

We wanted to follow up on Norah’s email from last week and update you on the planning we are doing to prepare for the return to school of students and staff. Many staff from across departments, as well as federations, union, and associations are being consulted on our Return to School Guide. It is nearing completion and we therefore wanted to send out a draft copy for all staff to see. We very much appreciate the contributions of so many and hope that it will answer many of the questions you have.

We know that there continues to be concern in relation to the Government’s plan for the return to school. Our goal is to mitigate risks as best as possible to provide a safe environment. Here are some examples of the things that we are currently doing:

• Maintenance will review work orders for windows and address these items. It should be noted that several schools have windows that are fixed (just a pane of glass) and cannot be opened. These spaces will be addressed by the actions below.
• The following strategies will also be utilized to improve the air quality within each facility by increasing ventilation and increase filter efficiency. The main focus at this time is to increase the fresh air that is circulated throughout each facility.
  • An increase in the air exchange throughout the day, whether the building has AC or not.
  • A full air exchange when the building is unoccupied.
  • Opening of windows, where possible, to further increase fresh air into a building.
• Facilities will be assisting with the preparation to set up classrooms for the start of the school year, removing items that cannot be cleaned by custodians, spacing apart desks where possible and other measures.
• Ordering health and safety supplies such as masks, hand sanitizer, soap, signage, cleaning products, etc.

Over the course of the next three weeks, we will be re-staffing for the school year based on students who choose to enroll in the DDSB Virtual School. Staff who have identified that they have a need for accommodation substantiated by medical documentation that prevents them from attending schools in person will be timetabled into the Virtual School. If you have not yet contacted us about accommodation, please do so as soon as possible at shortterm.absence@ddsb.ca. Please note that your home school will remain as your designated school for staffing purposes in future years.

In addition to the above, at this time we would also ask that you confirm your need for a leave of absence if you are not able to return to school in September.  If you plan to request a leave of absence please ensure that you notify your Administrator/Manager and complete the appropriate request in Forms Online by August 14, 2020, so that we can consider this in our planning.

Next week we will also be asking any staff who are interested in teaching virtually to self-identify. The Virtual School will be led by a principal and will have vice-principals to support. The expectation is that you will work with a team of educators supporting a specific class of students very similar to a school environment, except you will be doing it virtually. Learning will be synchronous throughout the instructional day and students will be expected to attend daily with you.

We are sending an update to families later today, along with an updated public FAQ. We have attached both of these documents to this e-mail. The update to families includes draft timetables at the secondary level where the return to school is adapted – that is to say students attend school every second day but are present every day online.

We also know that you may have questions about the return to school from your perspective. We will be compiling your questions so that we can provide you with updates. If you have any questions, please submit them at this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FAQreturnStaff

We will continue to work through this situation as it evolves and as we gain more information from the Ministry of Education. We are committed to providing you with updates as they become available and will continue to advocate to the staff at the Ministry of Education on behalf of the needs of our students and staff.

Sincerely,

ATTACHMENTS

Message to Families Return to School Update
Return to School FAQ-revised Aug 6
Return to School Guide Edition 1 Final